It's Not Really About the Monitor

Remember a couple of years ago I wrote a a blog about shoes that weren't really about shoes at all? I'd concluded that because things change, I had to change-- or revisit, anyway-- every now and then. Well, friends, that's a lesson that I am always forgetting.

We've had a desk in our room for as long as I can remember. I like having a desk and it was pretty necessary when a family has a desktop computer. But when you no longer have use for a desktop computer, what good is that desk? Storage. Permanent storage. The kind of storage where you never revisit the stuff you stored there. Like paid bills, school pictures (mine), and ancient desktop computers and computer monitors.

For years now we've not used anything that sits on this desk other than the landline phone, but recently Charlie helped me clear the thing off so that I could have a workspace to write. To create. So, we threw stuff out, shoved things in other spaces to make room for my notebooks, laptop, markers, and whatever I'd need to meet my every creative need . . . that can be met while sitting at a desk.

But the one thing I never touched in all these months was the damn computer monitor. "It's a flat screen," you say. "Can hardly even notice." Except it serves absolutely no purpose except to take up real estate. Okay, that's not entirely true because the reflection gives me spy powers and the ability to see when someone is creeping up behind me. The thing serves no especially useful purpose unless someone is sneaking up on me in an amateur way.

So, yesterday, I finally moved it. It was already disconnected and unplugged,so I don't know what the flying funk it was even doing there, and now I have space. For what? Nothing specific yet, but anything is possible!

Recap. I'd forgotten in the first place that I could actually use my desk for more than stupid storage. Forgot that the desk had an actual purpose. Forgot that it was thing that I was taking for granted and neglecting. Forgot that I could be using it for good instead of letting it fade into obscurity. And then, even as I was forging a useful, creative space for myself, I'd forgotten that I could remove things that were ultimately unnecessary and were impeding my personal growth. Okay, so maybe that sounds a little dramatic, which doesn't make it untrue. That monitor wasn't actually doing anything to me, right? Except I didn't recognize it because I was so used to the clutter. Like static.

What I did yesterday, then, was to remind myself to approach old things in new ways. By doing so, I've opened up the possibility for new opportunities. What can I put in this space? How can I streamline my space so that it feels like mine? I don't have an answer yet, but it's exciting to think about.